There were some blowouts along the way, but Brighton couldn't have had a much tougher path to the state Division 1 hockey championship.

The third-ranked Bulldogs won their fourth state title by beating the other three teams in the top four: No. 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary's in the regional finals, No. 4 Northville in the state semifinals and finally No. 2 and three-time defending champion Detroit Catholic Central in the finals.

Following is a look back on Brighton's six-game run to the state championship:

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Highlights from Brighton's 8-0 victory over Jackson in the first round of the state hockey tournament. Adam Conquest (#17) and Jake Crespi (#24) had hat tricks.
Bill Khan

Brighton 8, Jackson 0

Brighton, ranked No. 1 most of the season, entered the postseason by going 1-4-1 in its final six regular-season games with a shorthanded lineup. The Bulldogs were still missing players because of illness when they opened the playoffs against Jackson, but this was a match-up that wouldn't stress Brighton's depth in the least.

Adam Conquest jump-started the tournament run with two shorthanded goals in the first period. Conquest finished with a hat trick, as did Jake Crespi, whose goal with 3:23 left in the third period ended the game via the mercy rule.

"I just wanted to get back out there and help them out," said Conquest, who missed two games late in the season. "It definitely benefited me. It was a good thing it happened. It's a good bounce-back."

Brighton 5, Howell 1

Brighton had the superior talent, but the fact this was a rivalry game meant an upset was possible.

Steven Mullally's goal with 8:42 left in the second period had Howell within 3-1 entering the third. The Bulldogs scored twice on the power play in the third, eliminating Howell for the fifth time in six seasons.

"For whatever team loses, there's a lot of kids on that team who it's the end of their career and they don't get another shot," said Brighton senior Ben Peterson, who had a goal and two assists. "It's definitely more intense."

Brighton won the regional hockey championship on Will Jentz's goal in overtime, 2-1 over Orchard Lake St. Mary's.
Bill Khan

Brighton 2, Orchard Lake St. Mary's 1 (OT)

The signature moment of Brighton's championship run was provided in the regional final by unheralded freshman Will Jentz, who knocked in the third rebound 6:38 into overtime after Wyatt Harmon carried the puck into the zone and got off two shots.

Brighton fell behind early, but tied it 1-1 on a goal by Crespi with 3:55 left in the first period. The teams played scoreless hockey for 44 minutes and 33 seconds until Jentz sparked a wild celebration in Brighton's final home game.

"(Harmon) shot it, got his rebound, then it popped out to me," Jentz said. "I saw low blocker open and I shot it there and scored. I was just glad I got it, but I'm really just glad for the team so we can move on to the next round."

Highlights from Brighton's 7-0 victory over Lowell in the state Division 1 quarterfinals at Munn Ice Arena.
Bill Khan

Brighton 7, Lowell 0

After the tense, pressure-packed regional championship game, Brighton had it easy in the state quarterfinals at Munn Ice Arena against a Lowell team that hadn't been as deep in the state tournament since 1977.

Spencer Gehres, a senior playing his only season of high school hockey, scored the game's first two goals.

It was the first two-goal game for Gehres, who scored only twice in his first 21 games before heating up at the right time.

"It's definitely a very memorable experience," Gehres said. "I'll remember this the rest of my life. Everyone on the team is great to be around. It's a great atmosphere."

Highlights from Brighton's 5-0 victory over Northville in the state Division 1 hockey semifinals Friday at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
Bill Khan

Brighton 5, Northville 0

This was a much different Brighton team than the one that struggled at the end of the regular season. That point was driven home when the Bulldogs blew out a Northville team that beat them, 3-2, on Feb. 10.

Defenseman Sam Brennan scored the only goal in the first two periods at 3:22 of the first period when he dropped a pass at the blue line, then went to the net for a rebound. Brennan, who missed two months with a broken collarbone, had only two goals coming into the game, both against Hartland on Feb. 18.

The Bulldogs got a power-play goal from Mathew Kahra 41 seconds into the third. Kahra had two of Brighton's four third-period goals.

Brighton 5, Detroit Catholic Central 2

Brighton's players had one year to fuel their motivation after losing 3-0 to Catholic Central in last year's state final.

All of that frustration was channeled into a decisive performance against a team that rarely loses on this stage.

Brighton got goals from Keith Wikman and Gehres in the first 2:23. Adam Conquest made it 3-0 early in the second before Brendan West scored twice to get Catholic Central within 3-2. Gehres' second goal with 11:44 left in the game gave Brighton breathing room before Crespi clinched it with an empty-net goal.

Neaton's shutout streak ended in the second period, but he had some big stops among his 31 saves.

"It's been a year to the day since we lost," Neaton said. "You just represent so much more than yourself. You're representing all the boys who came before you, who came so close and couldn't get it done. Everyone in your city, we just had so much support throughout the year."